L is for Lemon Panna Cotta with Lemon Marmalade (Jennifer)

Hello world!
A big hello to all of our new readers this week! It makes us so very excited when new people mention that they stumbled upon our humble abode of a blog. Thank you for reading and following us along on this fun journey!

This week's post is inspired by lemons. Sweet, tart, sunshine-hued lemons. Thoughts of lemons conjure up wonderful memories of long summer days filled with lemonade-sipping, lemonade-selling, and my personal favorite, lemon meringue pie-eating. While originally I had planned to do a lemon meringue pie (I've never actually attempted one on my own before), something about this recipe for lemon panna cotta with lemon marmalade caught my eye and I couldn't stop thinking about it all week. Whatever the reason, this recipe had me at hello!



If you enjoy cold, refreshing treats in the summertime, I hope you'll give this dessert a try!


Lemon Panna Cotta with Lemon Marmalade
from Bon Appetit, May 2011

Marmalade:

• 3 large lemons
• 3/4 cup sugar

Panna Cotta:

• 1 cup whole milk, divided
• 2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin
• 2 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
• 1/2 cup sugar
• Peel from 1 lemon (removed with a vegetable peeler)
• 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise

For panna cotta:

Pour 1/2 cup milk into a medium bowl; sprinkle gelatin over. Let sit until gelatin softens, about 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, combine cream, sugar, lemon peel, and remaining 1/2 cup milk in a large saucepan. Scrape vanilla seeds from bean into saucepan; add bean. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, whisking until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat; cover and let steep for 10 minutes.

Bring cream mixture back to a simmer. Add gelatin mixture and stir until dissolved. Strain. Divide among eight 3/4-cup ramekins. Chill uncovered until panna cotta is set, at least 6 hours. DO AHEAD: Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and keep chilled.

In a small heavy saucepan over medium heat, stir sugar, reserved 1/3 cup lemon juice, and 1/4 cup water until sugar dissolves. Add peel, bring to a simmer, and cook until mixture is reduced to ⅔ cup and an instant-read thermometer reads 225°F about 10 minutes. DO AHEAD: Can be made up to 2 weeks ahead. Cover and chill.

For marmalade:
Using a knife, cut peel and white pith, end to end, from lemons. Juice enough flesh to measure ⅓ cup; reserve. Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. Add peel; boil for 5 minutes. Drain; repeat 2 more times. Let peel cool; slice lengthwise into thin strips, then crosswise in half.



Using a small sharp knife, cut around edges of each panna cotta. Place a small serving plate atop each ramekin and invert, allowing panna cotta to settle onto plate. Serve with marmalade.

Review:

Have I mentioned how much I really adore this recipe? Because I do. And I plan to keep it tucked away for a future summer date. It's wonderfully smooth, tart, sweet, and creamy--all wrapped up and tied with a bow...I mean, tied/topped with marmalade. Topped with sweet, tart strands of lemon peel marmalade. Deliciously chilly and soothing on a hot summer day. The recipe itself may sound a bit more involved, but I felt it was worth it for the results. The only thing I wasn't 100% delighted with was the "messy" look of the panna cotta. This, however, I attribute to operator error because I just couldn't wait long enough to let the panna cotta unmold itself from the ramekin. Fortunately, looks do not change the flavor, and the flavors to me were bright and refreshing. Yum!

Enjoy!

Jen